Removing Resolene

[steelhawk]

I have a holster that got a really messed up dye problem after I put the Resolene on and the only way to salvage it is to dunk it in Vinegaroon.

What is the best way to get rid of the Resolene so I can dye this thing black?

[chiefjason]

I've used denatured alcohol to strip it off when it acts funny. I've had to strip and re-seal a couple. The question is, can you get enough off to get the groon to take well? Good luck.

[Dwight]

I'll just jump in here for a moment to bump this back up, . . . as I have been using Resolene for 5 or 6 years, . . . never have found a way I really like to remove it.

That's good and bad, . . . bad for us, . . . but good for the customer. If we can't get it off, . . . they shouldn't be able to eaither.

Anyway, . . . I'm interested, . . . hope someone chimes in with a good answer, . . . if one exists.

May God bless,

Dwight

[humperdingle]

Resolene has an ammonia smell to it... Some kind of ammonia based cleaning solution? Might be worth trying something on scrap if you can find something suitable?

[Frank]

I second denatured alcohol. Put a liberal amount on a rag in a well ventilated area and wipe the finish off. It comes off real slimey and goobery like but just switch to a clean spot on the rag.

[dickf]

Acetone will strip it off, but the holster will never be the same.

[steelhawk]

Acetone will strip it off, but the holster will never be the same.

What do you mean by that?

[dickf]

What do you mean by that?

I mean the acrylic has penetrated the leather, and any attempt to strip it will be removing it from the surface only. You can get it off, but re-dying likely wont be even, and re-sealing will be isolated mostly to the surface. At least, this is my experience in this realm, your mileage may vary.

[Bronson]

your mileage may vary.

My mileage is the same.

Bronson

[steelhawk]

Thanks for the help. I tried denatured alcohol and it did nothing. Then I tried Acetone. That removed stuff. I cleaned as much of the outside as I could, then soaked the holster in vinegaroon. There are some spots on the back that aren't black, so I will try to darken those. The holster is still quite stiff, but the inside is a nice black color.

I'm not sure what will happen when I try to apply the final finish of Resolene.

Edited March 14, 2013 by steelhawk

[knazim]

What is vinegaroon?

[edunogueira]

Hey guys! I'm not a pro leatherworker but I do some experiments with leather.
After trying almost everything I got some results with acetone, it works fine. However, you have to use a lot of it in order to get the best result. You'll have to dye it again after that, it's impossible to remove resolene without removing the stain. Take a look at the picture to see my results
In the left, you can see the resolene removed and the right a brushed resolene. I tried to brush it to get something less shinny.

[JLSleather]

That might be a valid question for something with hours and hours of labor in it.  For something simple as a holster, pitch it and replace it.